Airedale honours employee loyalty

UK: Celebrating the loyalty of its staff, British cooling equipment manufacturer Airedale, has again made awards to employees reaching service milestones.

The well-known manufacturer, which says it recognises the loyalty of its workforce as the single biggest factor in its success, this year rewarded more than 35 individuals at an annual luncheon.

The group, made up from people from all areas of the business, have clocked up a total of 810 years’ service between them, equivalent to an average of 23 years each.

“Our people really have put Airedale on the map and have been behind the many ‘firsts’ Airedale has achieved over our 40 years in business,” commented managing director Clive Parkman. “We’re not perfect but we’ve been careful to retain a family culture and will continue to do so as we carry on growing.  By creating the right environment for individuals at all levels to succeed at what they do and provide a way for them to progress their careers, as well as enjoy their time at work, we’ve been able to attract and retain a team of talented, committed people who together form a very successful team.”

This year’s award recipients included spares despatch technician Phil Irvin, who joined Airedale in 1989. He joined on the same day as his brother, Colin, who is one of Airedale’s 40 service engineers. Phil said: “I’ve been here 25 years and still like coming to Airedale. A lot of people started around the same time as me and they are still here. That’s why it’s a good company to work for – we have all grown up together, as has the company.”

Celebrating 20 years’ service, service team leader Mark Hargrave, joined Airedale as Technical Support Engineer after completing his apprenticeship in refrigeration and air conditioning installation and maintenance. Mark said: “I transferred to the Service Division when it was first created around 15 years ago and have helped it grow from half a dozen engineers to a team of 40.”